Role of Pancreas in Digestion
Pancreatic juices secreted from the pancreas aid in digestion of the food. About 600-800 ml of fluid i.e. the pancreatic juice is secreted per day by pancreas. Pancreatic juice is alkaline in nature (pH about 8.0) and contains both organic and inorganic substances. The enzyme components are trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase 125 and carboxypeptidase, all of which are secreted as inactive precursors c~ .3 zymogens. The other enzymes are amylase, lipase, cholesteryl ester hydrolase, phospholipase, ribonucleases, deoxyribonucleases and phosphodiesterases. Sodium, chloride and bicarbonate are the major inorganic constituents. Before we proceed further, let us understand what we mean by zymogens. Zymogen is actually the enzyme molecule synthesized, but in an inactive form